Avoid the trap of "recession pounds", weight put on by eating less healthy food as a result of financial hardship.

Historically recessions and depressions meant less money to spend on food, so in many cases weight loss was inevitable. The advances in food manufacturing and packaging have changed the culinary landscape, now it is possible to buy a fairly large volume of food cheaply. Unfortunately you end up with lots of junk food and empty calories if you're not careful. What can you do to avoid putting on those recession pounds? Fred Lee of the financial blog Wise Bread writes:

Be inconsistent. Like losing weight, gaining weight doesn’t happen by itself. In other words, you won’t gain weight in your sleep, you have to consume. So don’t eat junk food regularly, three times a day, everyday. Incorporate a healthy meal in there, with something nutritious that is high in fiber.